This is a just a model for what you need to include in your discussion as a discussion leader and also hand in afterwards. What you hand in may look slightly different.
Text (or Chapter) = “My Two Lives” (by Jhumpa Lahiri)
I. Important vocabulary & definitions (in context locate in the text together)
a. Indian-American = an American of Indian descent (ex = a child of Indian immigrants born in the US)
b. hyphen = a dash (-) between words or phrases
c. Bengali = a native of Bengal (an eastern province in India); also the language spoken there
d. intertwined = woven together; connected
e. bicultural = having two cultures at the same time
II. Brief Summary (notes only!)
a. describes the author’s own experience growing up with two cultures
b. discusses how the two cultures have affected her life previously and currently
c. separation and balance of the two cultures has influenced her writing
d. Major theme = identity
III. Introduce New Characters (notes only!)
a. Jhumpa Lahiri (author)
b. her parents (immigrants to the US from India)
c. her children and husband
IV. Discussion Questions (You may want to include notes about possible answers and page numbers where to find them if you are analyzing a quote or using it as a starting point for your question.)
a. What do her “two lives” symbolize?
b. How did the author feel about her dual identity as a child growing up? Why?
c. How did she deal with the two extremely different cultures at the same time?
d. Why did her parents say she was not American and never would be? How
